Eagles should steal Amari Cooper from the Cowboys
By John Buhler
While the Dallas Cowboys are too busy figuring out Dak Prescott’s contract, you know what the Philadelphia Eagles should do? Steal Amari Cooper from them.
The Dallas Cowboys should have not messed around and paid Dak Prescott last offseason.
He may not be a top-12 franchise quarterback in football, but he’s the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback. While he may not have the tangibles of other great quarterbacks in the league, Prescott does win at a very high level. Most importantly, he is outstanding in front of the podium, always saying the right thing. Prescott is an adult you can build a winning culture around.
But he cannot do it alone. Like most quarterbacks in the league, Prescott needs a quality supporting cast around him to succeed. Unfortunately for him and the Cowboys, he may not get back his favorite target in 2020. Cornerback Byron Jones is as good as gone, but what if Amari Cooper plays for somebody else next year? Can you imagine if it were the Philadelphia Eagles?
Though Dallas has a better salary cap situation compared to Philadelphia, the Cowboys have more marquee players hitting free agency than the Eagles this year. The Eagles won the NFC East last year, despite having essentially converted quarterbacks and former AAFers playing wide receiver. DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery got hurt and Nelson Agholor dropped a lot of babies footballs.
With Carson Wentz entering year five out of North Dakota State, he needs to show the City of Brotherly Love he can win the Eagles a playoff game. He has one career postseason start to date, one where he had to leave with a concussion and the Eagles didn’t win. That’s not his fault, but this is a critical year for him if he is to remain a top-10 quarterback in the NFL going forward.
Fortunately for the Eagles, they have arguably the best general manager in football in Howie Roseman. He is the guy who built the magnificent Super Bowl 51 team and has helped the Eagles get to six conference championship games during his time in Philadelphia. By adding a Pro Bowl wide receiver of Cooper’s caliber, the Eagles would emerge as the favorite to repeat in the division.
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Not only would the Eagles solve one of their offensive issues, but they would make the Cowboys significantly worse on offense. Prescott has been at his best as a quarterback after Dallas traded for Cooper with the then-Oakland Raiders midway through the 2018 NFL season. It’d be a real shame if he didn’t re-up with “America’s Team” and instead played for the Eagles in 2020.